Xu Lanyin expressed her welcome again and went into the kitchen to get busy. She asked Xu Lanzhou, who had just returned from school, to accompany the distinguished guest, and only allowed Xu Lanting and Zhao Xingchen to greet them before sending them off.
Xu Lanyin cooked a few of her signature dishes, and asked someone to go to the best restaurant to buy a few main dishes. She also took out the best wine in the house and let Gui Fu drink it to his heart's content.
After having a good meal and a drink, Gui Fu returned to the post station to rest.
He'd been at the Xu family for half a day, and besides feeling that Xu Lan was being scheming due to their sibling warmth, Zhao Wu's relationship with the Xu family was actually closer than he'd imagined. He scoffed inwardly. What's with the idea of a guest-lender-tenant relationship, siblings? They looked like a couple. A stranger, with so many rooms in the outer courtyard, renting the west wing instead. The window faced her courtyard, so he couldn't see anything. That lock was just for show; he had no idea if they were doing anything private...
After that, Xu Lanyin lived a relatively relaxed and comfortable life. Besides looking forward to Zhao Wu's return, she was thinking about what kind of story she should describe to the little girl from Minjia.
There was also good news. Hu Wan sent a letter to the Hu family, saying that the department store was doing extremely well, surpassing all the shops in Ningzhou Prefecture. Not only did local residents love to go to the department store to shop, but outsiders who visited Ningzhou Prefecture also generally went there. Especially for those in a hurry, the department store was the place where they could find everything they needed...
There was also a letter from Mr. Li, written by Shopkeeper Wu, explaining that Xu's Pastry Shop was doing incredibly well in the mall. There were long lines every day for dim sum. Although the dim sum was expensive, the supply was limited, so it sold out before closing time. Some people, tired from shopping in the mall, would stop by to rest and drink, drawn in by the aroma of the dim sum.
This made the first and second wives of the Xu family very happy.
By the end of winter, Xu Lanyin was preparing to go to the provincial capital again. This time, her excuse was to visit her family's shop and take Xu Lanting for a follow-up appointment. Zhao Xingchen had nothing else to do, so he took him along.
Qin and Xu Lanzhou stayed at home to look after the house.
On the second day of the twelfth lunar month, guards from the Fujian government secretly arrived outside Nancheng County. On the third day, Xu Lanyin set off again, accompanied by her two children and the chess master. She also took half of her treasures with her to her new home, where she would reside for the majority of the future.
In the afternoon of the fourth day of the New Year, they entered the north gate of Ningzhou Prefecture and went directly to Xu's house in the north of the city.
The house had been completely tidied up, the furniture moved in, and the window paper replaced. It looked brand new and beautiful, with carved beams and painted rafters. Although it was not as luxurious as the Min family or the Hu family, Xu Lanyin and her brother were still delighted to have such a house in the province.
After Xu Lanyin finished washing up, she and Zhangqi covered her bed and the kang in the east wing with new bedding and hung the curtains. Now, there were only three of them in the house, all living in the upper room. Xu Lanting didn't live in his room, but in the east wing of the upper room. Zhao Xingchen continued to live with Xu Lanyin.
Xu Lanyin secretly asked the carpenter to make a secret compartment under the bunk bed, and she put the treasure there again.
Afterwards, Xu Lanyin asked Yang Zhong to invite Li, Wang Sanni, and Wang Jincai to dinner. Since Xia was definitely not going to come, she was not invited.
Yang Zhong explained that Wang Sanni and her family had rented a small courtyard across the street from here. Although it was small and dated, with only four main rooms and two side buildings, the rent was cheap, only five hundred wen a month, and they were very satisfied. Wang Jincai had returned to attending the private school just down the street.
It was not until it was completely dark that the three of them arrived at Xu's house.
All three of them were in very good spirits and smiling.
Mrs. Li said, "My sister has good taste. She knew exactly how to rent a store in the department store. Oh, my, I'm exhausted every day, but I'm happy inside. Just this month, after deducting the cost of buying ingredients, we made over a hundred taels of silver. Our reputation has also spread. Now Xu's pastries are as well-reputed as Guansuyuan, the century-old shop in the provincial capital. We also have to thank Boss Hu. Of all the merchants renting stalls in the mall, ours is the lowest rent. I dare not even tell others about the amount..."
Xu Lanyin was also happy to hear this and said, "Thank you for your hard work, sister-in-law. In the future, you can bring your apprentices out and sign long-term contracts with them. When my brother and the others come to the provincial capital, you can stay at home and enjoy your life as a young lady."
Mrs. Li laughed so hard with joy that she laughed out loud, "I look forward to that day, too." She also wanted to have two more sons, as one was not enough.
Wang Sanni reported the situation in the teahouse again.
The teahouse's furniture was complete, and some staff had already started work. They were purchasing tea sets and various chess sets according to Xu Lanyin's previous specifications. They had also begun recruiting chess students, and many had signed up. Even before the teahouse opened, it had already created buzz among academies and many private schools...
"The better the things you buy, the more money you spend. Shopkeeper Wu feels bad about it." Wang Sanni said with a smile.
Xu Lanyin smiled and said, "As long as the things are good, don't be afraid to spend money."
After dinner, several adults were discussing things in the shop, while Wang Jincai took Xu Lanting and Zhao Xingchen to make a fuss in the yard.
Since the families lived close to each other, the three Li family members returned home at the end of the evening.
After breakfast the next day, Xu Lanyin took Xu Lanting and Zhao Xingchen to Min Mansion.
Heavy snow began to fall from the sky again, and the sky was gloomy.
Butler Hao was waiting for them at the gatehouse. He said, "My sister got up at the beginning of the morning and is waiting for them at the second gate."
Xu Lanyin and the others hurried to the second gate. Through the falling snow, they could vaguely see a large green ball and a small red ball standing at the second gate from a distance.
The green ball is Mother Liu, and the red ball is Min Jia.
Xu Lanting and Zhao Xingchen shouted hello loudly and ran over.
"Jia Jia."
"Sister Jia."
A small ball of red also ran towards them.
When she was hugging the two boys, Xu Lanyin also walked over.
Min Jia hugged Xu Lanyin again, buried his little face in her belly, and made whimpering sounds.
Xu Lanyin hugged her and smiled, "Aunt Xu kept her promise, right? We meet again."
The three children, one big and three small, huddled together again and walked towards the courtyard.
The three children spent the day happily. When they heard that Xu Lanyin and her two friends would stay here tonight, Min Jia was so happy that she kept laughing.
At lunch time for the three children, Xu Lanyin listened to Mother Liu's story about what happened on the day An had the accident. This was what Minhu asked her to tell. She was also present at the time, walking behind a few people.
Xu Lanyin listened and asked questions, asking very carefully. There were some things that Mrs. Liu had to think about for a long time before she could say them. The more Xu Lanyin listened to this process, the more suspicious she became. It was all too coincidental...
The days are short now, and it is already dark at the beginning of the You hour.
The wind howled outside, but the house felt warm as spring. Under the light, a group of three children, one large and one small, huddled together to read aloud from a comic book. Xu Lanyin read first, followed by Xu Lanting and Zhao Xingchen, while Min Jia spoke.
This was the scene that Min Hu saw when he returned. He felt so warm inside that his face was filled with smiles.
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